After the announcement of the Team USA Tryout Invitees (Analysis) earlier this month,
LaxMagazine.com took an in-depth look at each position and the
players vying for spots on the 2014 edition of Team USA. We will be
running updated versions of each leading into this weekend's tryout
at Goucher college.

The 11 short-stick defensive midfield invitees to U.S. men's
national team tryouts at Goucher College in Baltimore represent the
elite of an often overlooked and under-regarded position. But some
consider their job the toughest to play on the field. It takes a
special athlete and skill set to play short-stick defensive
midfield, which requires the ability to cover, clear, work the wing
on faceoffs, and inclusive of all that, make important
possession-swinging decisions throughout any game.

We've lumped these SSDMs into a few categories, but given the
do-it-all nature of the position, keep in mind there may be some
overlap among them. It's important to also note that in the
international game, with limited substitutions, two-way midfielders
are at a premium.

In Their Primes

Matt Abbott, Chesapeake Bayhawks (Syracuse)

Dan Burns, Chesapeake Bayhawks (Maryland)

Steve DeNapoli, Rochester Rattlers (Hofstra)

Jeff Reynolds, Chesapeake Bayhawks (Maryland)

"The Human Clear," is how ESPN's Quint Kessenich described
Abbott during the 2009 NCAA playoffs. The Syracuse alum is
certainly that, and more. He works the wings on faceoffs and this
summer has played more on offense for Chesapeake this year. His 12
goals so far are a career-high for the fifth-year pro. It will be
interesting to watch him play a more strictly SSDM role in
tryouts... Burns was brought to the Bayhawks via trade before this
season by coach Dave Cottle, who coached him at Maryland. The idea
was to give the team a second short-stick defensive midfielder who
could also play the wings. His emergence has allowed Abbott to play
more offense... DeNapoli is hands down one of the fastest lacrosse
players on this planet. He can clear the ball at will. He proved it
consistently in college at Hofstra and has continued in
Rochester... Reynolds, who was added to the tryout list this week,
was out for much of the MLL season with injury but returned in
August for Chesapeake's run to the title. The fifth-year pro had
five ground balls and two goals in seven games. I guess the
Bayhawks have some pretty good d-middies, huh?

Offensive Defensive Middies

Jake Bernhardt, Ohio Machine (Maryland)

Justin Pennington, Denver Outlaws (Rutgers)

John Ranagan, Rochester Rattlers (Johns Hopkins)

Bernhardt, brother of Team USA long-stick midfield candidate
Jesse, was an offensive middie this past season at Maryland,
tallying 49 goals and 14 assists, but he'll be evaluated on the
defensive end at Goucher. It shouldn't be a problem as he proved to
be an effective two-way middie in the ultra-competitive ACC... Of
the three here, Pennington is the most experienced and probably has
the most all-around ability in his game. He has been used to
perfection by Outlaws coach Jim Stagnitta, who coached him in
college at Rutgers. At times in his MLL career, Pennington has
taken faceoffs and run on offense, but he is truly a do-it-all
midfielder. His stat-line reflects it: 11 goals, five assists and
39 ground balls in 15 games this year... Since leaving Johns
Hopkins, Ranagan was used on offense by Rochester in his rookie MLL
year and even garnered a few rookie of the year votes. He finished
with 18 goals and one assist in 10 games, but will be looked at on
defense by his former college coach, Dave Pietramala, who coaches
Team USA's back-end.

Wily Vets

Benson Erwin, LXM Pro Tour (Johns Hopkins)

Chris Schiller, Charlotte Hounds (Penn State)

Erwin, team captain of Johns Hopkins' 2005 national championship
team, was last seen on the LXM Pro Tour... Schiller, a 2010 Team
USA member, returned to MLL this year with the Charlotte Hounds
after four years away from the pro game. His leadership qualities
should not go overlooked.

Sandpaper and Shock

Kevin Unterstein, New York Lizards (Hofstra)

Chris LaPierre, rights owned by Hamilton Nationals
(Virginia)

Unterstein is one of the Lizards sandpaper guys, a Long
Island-bred Hofstra alum who is a premier shutdown defensive
midfielder. He's been in MLL since 2008 and has been a regular
starting fixture on either the Lizards or Denver Outlaws since
2010... The MLL rights to LaPierre, nicknamed "Shocker" are owned
by the Nationals. But the 2nd overall pick in the 2013 draft has
been granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA. LaPierre
missed most of his senior season due to a knee ligament sprain and
applied for a medical hardship waiver. It's hard to say if Virginia
would have definitely fared better in 2013 with LaPierre, but
playing without their solo team captain certainly didn't help. Eyes
will be on LaPierre's movement and health at U.S. tryouts.